This invention relates generally to electrical ceiling boxes and, more particularly, to an electrical box for mounting and supporting a ceiling fan, having improved mounting lugs for engaging the screws used to secure a ceiling fan.
Ceiling fans have become increasingly popular in both commercial and residential settings as a means for improving air circulation and, in many instances, reducing overall electrical consumption. Ceiling fan mounting assemblies come in a variety of configurations, but the vast majority are designed to be secured to a conventional electrical outlet box installed in a ceiling, i.e., a ceiling box. Conventional ceiling boxes have a pair of inwardly extending ears (flanges) integrally formed with the side portion, with each ear having a threaded hole for engaging a mounting screw used to support a ceiling fan. For ceiling fans, conventional ceiling boxes do not provide sufficient strength to serve as support structures, thus requiring additional mounting means for proper support.
Numerous efforts have been made to construct an electrical box suitable for use with heavier ceiling fans. One such effort is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,211 issued Jan. 9, 1990 to Jorgensen. The Jorgensen device is an electrical box having a diametrically opposed pair of ears in the same general manner as conventional boxes. In the Jorgensen box, however, the ears are unthreaded through holes, aligned with threaded mounting holes formed in the top portion of the box. The mounting screws used to support a ceiling fan pass through the holes in the ears and threadedly engage the mounting holes formed in the box. According to Jorgensen, this arrangement eliminates fatigue which can cause the ears to break off of conventional boxes. With the Jorgensen box, however, it is essential that a certain amount of clearance be maintained above the box to insure that the mounting screws are adequately engaged within the mounting holes formed in the top of the box. On some occasions, when an outlet box is mounted directly beneath a stud or ceiling joist, great care must be exercised to properly align the box during installation to insure that such clearance is maintained. Also, it is frequently difficult to thread the screws into the mounting holes since the holes, being recessed within the box, are hard to see, especially when a ceiling fan mounting plate blocks the installer""s view. A need has been recognized for an improved electrical box for use with a ceiling fan which does not require any unusual care during installation of either the box or a ceiling fan, and which provides a superior mounting structure for supporting the fan.
It is an object of this invention to provide an electrical ceiling box specially adapted for mounting and supporting a ceiling fan.
It is another object to provide such an electrical box which is a structurally superior mounting surface as compared to conventional ceiling boxes.
A further object is to provide a ceiling box which is installed in a conventional manner.
A still further object is to provide a ceiling box which is structurally superior and allows installation of a ceiling fan in a conventional manner.
In order to achieve these and other objects, the present invention is an electrical box adapted to mount and support a ceiling fan, comprising a top portion and a side portion, the side portion rigidly coupled to the top portion and extending substantially normal thereto, forming a box open at one end and defining an interior cavity. A pair of first ears are rigidly secured to the side portion and extend inwardly into the interior cavity of the box, each of the first ears having a mounting hole formed therethrough threadedly engageable with a mounting screw used to attach a ceiling fan. A pair of second ears are rigidly secured to the side portion intermediate the first ears and the top portion and also extend inwardly into the interior cavity. Each of the second ears has an unthreaded receiving hole formed therethrough, through which the mounting screw can extend. The second ears provide lateral support for the mounting screws to prevent flexing of the first ears. In the preferred embodiment, the ears are integrally formed on a pair of ear lugs, which are welded to exterior surfaces of the box.
The above stated and other objects will become clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.